Life or Death?
by Me Myself and I1
Summary: She has an innocent face and a great power but which will help her choose? Life or Death?


Life or Death?  
  
  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne or anything for that matter so suing me would be a waste of time.  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter 1: Ringing phones and red lights  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
*Ring-Ring!*  
  
  
  
"Mmmmmm." I groaned rolling over.  
  
  
  
*Ring-Ring-Ring!*  
  
  
  
"Just a few more minutes." I tiredly muttered into my feather stuffed pillow. The phone continued to ring loudly and I buried my face deeper in my pillow only to have the tip of one of the feather pock me in the face.  
  
  
  
"Ugggh! Fine!" I muttered realizing that whoever was calling wasn't going to hang up any time soon. I tried reaching for the phone and found that I had another task to complete before I could get that loud and annoying ringing to stop. I tried to free my arm from the sheet that somehow during the night I got tangled up in. I wander if they have warning labels on sheet saying things like, "Caution: During night sheets might attack you and get you stuck in them." I kept struggling to get myself free from the prison of covers but so far, to no avail. With one hard jerk of my arm I fell to the floor freeing my arm but also scraping my head against the little square wooden table I keep besides my bed. I looked down at my favorite pale blue sheet's and saw the huge tare that I had inflicted upon them while trying to free myself.  
  
  
  
"CRAP!" I yelled angrily freeing the rest of my body. I blindly reached for where the phone should be on the table and grabbed it. This had better be life or death.  
  
  
  
"Hello?" I yawned out exasperatedly. After listening for about 2 seconds and not getting a response I angrily yelled. "The whole point of a prank call is to say something you stupid little…"  
  
  
  
*Ring!*  
  
  
  
"What the…" I said pulling what I thought was the phone away from my face. In my tiredness I had answered a can of deodorant. This is one of those mornings where you start off feeling stupid. I feel really stupid.  
  
  
  
"Great now I'm talking to cans!" I muttered looking around for the phone which hadn't stopped ringing yet. I stumbled trying to get up, and fallowed the ringing sound since I could really see anything on the darkness of my room.  
  
  
  
"Here phone here phone!" I yawned out rubbing my eyes. I was about to call out again when I tripped and fell smack on my face. Feeling more and more stupid by the minute.  
  
  
  
"Damn it!" I yelled looking at what tripped me. A pink dress with frills wrapped around the phone. 'Well at least I found the phone.' I thought grabbing it and pushing the talk button.  
  
  
  
"Hello you've woken me up. Please tell me your address so I can go kick your ass." I said sitting up and touching my forehead. I winched in pain and quickly pulled back my hand and looked at the blood on it. Great now I've cut my head. Gee, this sure is my morning. I thought with sarcasm.  
  
  
  
"Hello Miss Suzy Sunshine!" yelled a perky voice over the phone. I pulled the phone away from my ear and groaned. Too loud. That voice was WAY too loud. Realizing that the loud, perky and annoying voice was still talking I quickly hung up the phone. Dropping the phone and rubbed my eyes I can to a conclusion. "Too early." I said shaking my head. "Way too early to deal with perky morning people." Winching at the pain in my head from both the small cut and loud evil perky person voice.  
  
  
  
"Morning people are evil." I muttered kicking away the dress that nightmares are made of. I remember who just called and quickly crawled over to the wall and unplugged the phone cord just as it was starting to ring. I laid down where I was propped against the wall hoped for at least 10 more minutes of sleep before I was woken up again. I looked at the little glowing clock next to me and groaned.  
  
  
  
"So far this day sucks and it's only three am." I said closing my eyes. It wasn't long until I fell asleep sliding down the wall till my head touched the cold floor softly.  
  
  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
  
  
%Hearing the scream ring clear throughout the castle and straight to my ears. My head jerked to the direction that the scream came from. I got up and ran to the window to see what was happening.  
  
  
  
Men covered from head to toe in black searching the palace for something or someone.  
  
  
  
Me running down a corridor and into a room that has haunted my dreams…my nightmares.  
  
  
  
My little sisters room.  
  
  
  
Inside a man covered from head to toe in black was holding Merle by the scruff of her neck. She had tears streaming down her face and was holding her tail with a pained expression on her little furry face.  
  
  
  
"Lord Van!" yelled Merle noticing me and trying to reach for me.  
  
  
  
The man in black heard Merle and turned to me. He threw her off to the side of the room. She hit the wall with a *Thud* and crumbled to the floor in a heap like a rag doll with a final cry of pain.  
  
  
  
"Ah yes the Prince." Said the man walking up to me. I reached to where my little sword was and drew it forth. The man laughed and grabbed a poker from the little fireplace The end of it was bright red almost orange with intense heat.  
  
  
  
"What do you want?" I demanded looking from the hot poker in his hand to him. He started laughing at me then spoke to me. "Why young prince don't you know? Your sister of course." With that said he knocked the sword out of my hand and grabbed my little hand in his large gloved one.  
  
  
  
"Tell me where she is boy!" demanded the man. I struggled to free my hand from his grasp but it was no use for he was far stronger than I.  
  
  
  
"Never!" I yelled in pain as he tightened his grip in my arm.  
  
  
  
Without a word he pressed the burning hot poker into the palm of my hand. I screamed out in pain and tried as hard as I could to free my hand from his grasp and away from the poker. The smell of my burning flesh filled the air and I scream out "She's in the garden." hoping that he would let go of my hand and not thinking of how I just betrayed my little sister.  
  
  
  
He let go of my arm and shoved me away from him. Before he left the room he turned to me and said. "You are weak and because of you your sister shall die by my blade." With that said he ran out of the room and to the garden below.  
  
  
  
"No sister…I have failed you." I whispered looking at my burned and bleeding hand in disgust. I hade told the enemy where my sister was and for that I don't think I could ever forgive myself.  
  
  
  
My head shot up once I heard the piercing scared screams…her scared screams. I got up from my spot huddled on the floor and ran to the window where right below me stood twenty or more men in a circle surrounding my little sister. A man was holding her right arm and sliced it from her shoulder to the tip of her middle finger. After he did he starting slicing more. From where I was standing her arm the cuts and blood started to resemble the branches of a tree. She looked at me the entire time that he was cutting her arm with a long curved dagger. Her baby blue eyes looked almost white now as she stared at me.  
  
  
  
"I wish that she could be safe from here…from all of this." I whispered to myself knowing that there was nothing that I could really do now. Maybe just maybe if she could be somewhere else anywhere else she could be safe. Safe and never have to deal with people trying to kill her because she is different.  
  
  
  
Once those words left my mouth she cried out in pain differently from before and was engulfed in a beam of blood red light. When the light dissipated she was gone no where in sight. The man holding the blade with her blood on it looked around for her then up at me then all of him and his men ran and disappeared into the night. The night I knew I would never forget no matter how hard I tried.  
  
  
  
When the guards arrived they were too late. She was gone. Gone and it was all my fault. All my fault%  
  
  
  
I woke with a start and jump up out of my bed and shaking. My body was cover in sweat that I find my self always waking up in after I dream about that night.  
  
  
  
"Because of me…she was only 3…" I whispered trailing off covering my face with my hand in shame. If I had only been stronger I could have saved her.  
  
  
  
I heard my door creak open and quickly turned to see whom it was.  
  
  
  
"It's just me Lord Van can I stay in here with you? I had the dream about her too." said Merle in a whisper. I lied down on the bed and patted the spot next to me for her to sleep there.  
  
  
  
"Sure Merle" I said as she ran over and lied down next to me. She cuddled into my shirt and spoke. "Van do you think that she is ok?" She asked looking up at me with her big blue innocent eyes. Eyes that in her life had seem too much blood and death.  
  
  
  
The only time that she called me Van instead of Lord Van is when she is talking about Kali. My only sister and the only sister Merle has ever know.  
  
  
  
"I hope so. I just wish she that she was here." I said sleepily falling back asleep not realizing what I had said or the outcome that could come from my wish.  
  
  
  
  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
  
  
I woke up with a start from a non-so blissful sleep against the wall by the sound of a VERY loud fog horn going of next to my ear. My eyes snapped open and I pulled my head away from horribly loud noise. I looked to the evil thing that had woken me up and growled.  
  
  
  
There stood the owner of the perky voice holding a foghorn trying to fake innocence. I stood up and resisted the urge to shove that horn down her throat to see if she like cartoon characters would only talk in a series of horn noises. For her that would be an improvement. But no, instead of doing that I simply reached out for her to give me the foghorn. She did so knowing that if she didn't I just might try my earlier idea.  
  
  
  
Now usually I'm now I violent person but this woman just plain pisses me off. To discourage her from pissing me off more I show her my anger and frustration.  
  
  
  
I pointed to the open the door hoping that she would get the point and leave before I feel the need to do harm to her. But of course her being the stupid person that she is she stayed right where she was standing. While most people who know me would know you don't wake Kali up before the sun rises. Especially is she was working a double shift yesterday and had only gotten two hours of sleep. You know how they say you need at least 8 hours of sleep every night? Who ever it was that said that wasn't kidding. As a matter of fact I think that Garfield said that…hmmmm.  
  
  
  
When I realize that she is talking in her ever so annoying perky voice and listen to what she is saying I turn look towards her with a look of murder in my eyes.  
  
  
  
"Candy did you just say that Joe wants me to meet him there at 5:30?" I asked calmly in a smooth even voice. She tilted her head to the side looking at me with confusion like a dog would do.  
  
  
  
"No I said at 4:30 you silly wily you!" she said. I quickly looked to my clock and growled.  
  
  
  
I grabbed her by the collar of her pink polo shirt I threw her out of my room, slammed and locked the door. It's 4:10 now so if I don't run I'll be late and miss the boat and probably loose my oh-so lovely job.  
  
  
  
I ran over to my door and grabbed the backpack hanging on the metal circular handle. Going around my room I threw some things into my bag that I would need today. I ran over to my bed and tossed the can of deodorant that I answered as a phone into the bag and rushed over to my closet to grab clothes to change into.  
  
  
  
"Hmmm cold or hot?" I said to my self. I reached out the touched the cool smooth glass of the window next to me. "Shorts and a tank top." I decided knowing that later in the day it would be hot as hell outside and in. I ended up putting on a pair of gray terry cloth shorts that said Chocoholic across my butt and a forest green tank top that says 'All stressed out and no one to choke' Yes I am a true believer that you should wear clothes that state your personality. I quickly tied on my running shoes, threw on my backpack and climbed out the window my small apartment to go run a few miles to the boat that will take me to work.  
  
  
  
As I left my apartment and started running I felt like something was going to happen. It felt like when…like I felt 14 years ago. Well except I don't feel a horrible pain in my arm, but I do feel one in my head. I had to stop running from the pain. I live with pain shooting threw my body all the time but this…this feels familiar and yet worse.  
  
  
  
I cry out in pain as I am enveloped in a bright beam of blood red light once again. The pain is excruciating I cry out in pain once more as I feel it stabbing all through my body. I try to breathe only to find that I can't because I have no air. Everything around me suddenly gets dark and I find myself passing out.  
  
  
  
  
  
*^*Ok this is my first story I hope that someone enjoyed it. I changed some things in the story so it could fit my purpose better but basically it's the same. Please review and tell me what you thought. Good or bad I need to know how I can improve my writing. In the next chapter I will try to explain things more. I will start working on the next chapter this weekend and will hopefully have it up by Saturday night. Till then I will be busy doing schoolwork. *^* 


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